Spike Lee needs to get over this black stuff and start researching non black stuff for once.

White people fought in the second world war too.

I'm glad there's a director who hasn't got over this "black stuff" and slavery, and the way it's aftermath has irretrievably affected America. He's right: Hollywood has historically whitewashed world war two - as a director who cares about these issues, working in Hollywood, I can totally understand the desire to address that. The whites who fought in the second world war too we have heard about ad nauseum - let's let one of the best US directors tell a different version of history. I think it'll be very interesting - like an american Days of Glory (but probably better - cos it's Spike Lee). Unless you were joking.

Spike Lee needs to get over this black stuff and start researching non black stuff for once.

White people fought in the second world war too.

i mean, yeah, but take a look at the way the article sensationalizes his quotes. lee does make pretty good points - you never do hear about black soldiers in wwii. he makes the very valid statement that it's an incredibly dramatic concept - black people are fighting for a country that treats them like shit. it's the article that says he's "attacking hollywood" and "lashing out" at the hollywood system. he never says anything like "it's a disservice to black people that we never see any hollywood films about how they fought," he's just saying that there aren't any.

yeah, spike lee says shit about black people and white people, but he's not as militant as the media makes him out to be (at least not in this article). i think this movie should be pretty good. i just hope it's not as schmaltzy as glory, which i guess pretty much covered the exact same ground.

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The corpses all hang headless and limp bodies with no surprises and the blood drains down like devil’s rain we’ll bathe tonight I want your skulls I need your skulls I want your skulls I need your skulls Demon I am and face I peel to see your skin turned inside out, ’cause gotta have you on my wall gotta have you on my wall, ’cause I want your skulls I need your skulls I want your skulls I need your skulls collect the heads of little girls and put ’em on my wall hack the heads off little girls and put ’em on my wall I want your skulls I need your skulls I want your skulls I need your skulls

ROME -- Spike Lee, in Tuscany, Italy, to scout locations for his next film and to receive the 41st Fiesole Master of Film Award, took swings Monday at Hollywood for its portrayal of black characters, at Washington for its foreign policy and at the film industry in general for leaving him on the outside looking in.

Lee was introduced to a standing-room-only news conference at the Hotel Villa San Michelle in Fiesole, just outside Florence, by town Mayor Fabio Incatasciato and a handful of other local figures who praised the director's work. But there was no shortage of opinions once Lee started speaking.

Said the two-time Oscar nominee, here for preproduction work on his latest project, "Miracle at St. Anna," a $45 million World War II drama set in Italy: "My last feature film, 'Inside Man,' was my most successful so far, and I was naive enough to think that that meant I could go from there and make any film I wanted to make. But I was very, very wrong about that. Anybody who thinks that I've become part of the mainstream doesn't understand the way it works."

Lee sparked laughter several times by saying he would only win an Oscar when he was so old he would have to be pushed onstage in a wheelchair and threatening to fine two photographers whose cell phones rang during the hourlong briefing.

"On my set, the rule is that if your phone goes off while we're shooting, that's $50 in my pocket," he said.

Lee said "Miracle" -- which will be his first film shot mostly outside of the U.S. -- would be the first WWII film to feature a largely black cast.

"I'm a big fan of World War II movies, but up until now I've only seen two that featured any black soldiers," Lee said. "There was Jim Brown in 'Dirty Dozen' and (James Edwards), who was Gen. Patton's valet in 'Patton.' I know we can do better than that."

Commenting on Washington, Lee said there had been no war since WWII in which the U.S. had been involved that he would consider a "just" war.

Lee said he has been to Italy at least 20 times over the past two decades and has wanted to make a movie in the country for years. The opportunity arose three years ago when he read the James McBride novel "Miracle at St. Anna."

"I'm a storyteller, and so I needed a story," Lee said. "I knew I had it when I read the novel."

Lee said McBride already has produced three "strong" drafts of the screenplay for the film, which will be filmed using U.S., Italian and German actors, with a mostly Italian crew. Filming will take place in Tuscany, Rome's Cinecitta Studios and New York.

Lee was well received by the Italian crowd, including Fielsole's Incatasciato, who recalled seeing Lee's 1989 classic "Do the Right Thing" in nearby Florence as a young man.

On Tuesday, Incatasciato will be among the dignitaries on hand to present Lee with the Masters of Cinema Award. Traditionally a European prize given in recognition of a director's body of work, Lee will be just the third American awarded the prize in 41 years, joining Orson Wells (1974) and Stanley Kubrick (1983).

VENICE, Italy -- Director Spike Lee was on hand at the Venice Film Festival Saturday to support the launch of an online short film festival set up by web portal Babalgum.

Lee will make the final decision on who wins what from the festival categories, which come complete with cash prizes.

Organizers said the Babelgum Online Film Festival will award 20,000 euros ($27,500) to the short films in each of six separate categories.

The shorts will be voted on by the public from the Web site and then the ten top-rated movies in each category will be judged by a ten-member jury. That jury will select three finalists in each category, with the winners selected by Lee.

"I used to be a struggling independent filmmaker myself and so I understand how important a forum like this one is," said Lee, who spoke at a presentation ceremony on the sidelines of the 64th Venice Film Festival. "With opportunities like this one available these days, a good filmmaker who doesn't get his films seen has only himself to blame."

The creation of the festival throws up several ethical issues facing the judges, including the stipulation that "offensive" material is ruled out in the contracts drawn up for submissions from the movie's producers.

The possibility of censorship -- what's offensive to one person in Italy might not be so for a U.S. participant -- and the possibility that voting might be skewed by some viewers voting multiple times raise questions.

For their part, Babelgum officials said the whole system would evolve and discussions were taking place.

Lee said the area of "offensive" material was a grey one but that he fully expected to receive a plethora of complaints by email if anyone is offended.

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“Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.” - Andy Warhol

"I DIDN'T see much of New York Fashion Week this week," Naomi Campbell told us from her New York apartment this morning. "I'm actually here for meetings with Spike Lee about his new project – and I signed the contract last night so I can talk about it at last. I haven't been able to tell anyone else yet. " Will this be the major new Hollywood role she's been waiting for? "Not at all," she laughed. "It's a very very small role but it involves subject matter that I'm really passionate about. It's about a regiment of black soldiers based in Tuscany in the Second World War – it's a subject that nobody has ever touched upon. There are all the war time films of course but you never see a black soldier in any of them. I'll do anything for Spike and I really think we should be more educated about the role of people of colour in our history." Expect to hear more about the project in the coming weeks – and Naomi tells us the film could even be out as early as next year.

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“Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.” - Andy Warhol

She's Gotta Have ItAnd "it" is a new DVD release for the Spike Lee flick!

On January 15, 2008, MGM Home Entertainment will release She's Gotta Have It on DVD. The film was shot in less than two weeks on a budget under $200k, and is the model Spike Lee film, as it is his first. It will be a bare bones release, and will be available for the MSRP of $19.98.

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“Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.” - Andy Warhol

Two-time Oscar-nominated filmmaker Spike Lee will discuss his life and career, “Reel to Real,” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 9, at Texas Hall, 701 W. Nedderman Drive, on The University of Texas at Arlington campus. Lee's films include “He Got Game,” “Inside Man,” “Malcolm X,” “Mo Better Blues,” “Do the Right Thing” and “4 Little Girls.”Tickets for Lee’s lecture are $15 for the public, $10 for faulty, staff and UT Arlington Alumni Association members and $5 for UT Arlington students. A $50 ticket, which includes a reception with Lee, is available in limited supply.

Filmmaker Spike Lee has linked up with Nokia to direct a movie made with cell phone footage from everyday people in what he calls the democratization of film.

The film by Nokia Productions will consist of three acts. An "assignment" for each act will be announced online and people will then have four weeks to produce their submission.

"You are seeing first hand the democratization of film," Lee said in a statement on Thursday. "Aspiring filmmakers no longer have to go to film school to make great work. With a simple mobile phone, almost anyone can now become a filmmaker."

Lee was nominated for an Academy Award for best original screenplay for "Do the Right Thing" in 1990 and for best documentary for "4 Little Girls" in 1998.

The film's theme will evolve around the way music tells the story of humanity, and people can submit text, music, video or images at certain times between now and August 21 to http://www.nokiaproductions.com.

Nokia will choose 25 submissions, then people can vote online for their favorite for a top 10 from which Spike Lee will then choose the winning submission from each act.

Lee will direct the film through the Web site.

The final film with the three winning submissions and other contributed content will premiere later this year in Los Angeles.

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“Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.” - Andy Warhol

CANNES -- Spike Lee is in Cannes to promote his Italy-set war film "Miracle at St. Anna," but he couldn't resist taking a few swipes at some fellow directors, including Joel and Ethan Coen and Clint Eastwood.

Speaking about death in his World War II period drama, Lee said that, unlike the Coens, he was respectful in the way he portrayed death.

"I always treat life and death with respect, but most people don't," Lee said at a press briefing. "Look, I love the Coen brothers; we all studied at NYU. But they treat life like a joke. Ha ha ha. A joke. It's like, 'Look how they killed that guy! Look how blood squirts out the side of his head!' I see things different than that."

Speaking about the casting for his tale of four black American soldiers in Tuscany during World War II, Lee said that black actors appear in war films too infrequently.

"Clint Eastwood made two films about Iwo Jima that ran for more than four hours total and there was not one Negro actor on the screen," Lee told reporters. "If you reporters had any balls you'd ask him why. There's no way I know why he did that -- that was his vision, not mine. But I know it was pointed out to him and that he could have changed it. It's not like he didn't know."

Lee said that his film is in the final stages of post-production and will be complete by the end of July, with an Oct. 10 release date likely -- exactly one year after shooting started. The film's score and about 10 weeks of mixing remain before completion. He said the film is likely to premiere at a festival: either Venice or Toronto.

Lee also told the Hollywood Reporter he is starting work on an as-yet-unnamed documentary about basketball great Michael Jordan, set for release in early 2009. Lee and Jordan starred in a series of award-winning ad spots for sporting goods company Nike in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

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“Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.” - Andy Warhol